Alberti, Leone Battista, Architecture, 1755

Page concordance

< >
< >
page |< < of 320 > >|
1For a Place to keep Rabbits in, build a Wall
of ſquare Stone, with its Foundations dug ſo
low as to be in Water; within the Space en­
cloſed make a Floor of male Sand, with little
Hillocks here and there of Fuller's Earth.
Let
your Poultry have a Shed in the Yard facing
the South, and thick ſtrewed with Aſhes, and
over this Places for them to lay their Eggs,
and Perches to rooſt upon in the Night.
Some
are for keeping their Poultry in large Coops in
ſome handſome inclofed Area facing the Eaſt;
but thoſe that are defigned for laying and
hatching of Eggs, as they are more cheerful,
having their Liberty, ſo too they are more
fruitful; whereas, thoſe which are kept in a
dark confined Place, ſeldom bring their Eggs
to any Thing.
Place your Dove-houſe ſo as
to be in View of Water, and do not make it
too lofty, but of ſuch an eaſy Heigth, that the
Pidgeons wearied with flying, or after ſporting
about in the Air with one another, may gent­
ly glide down upon it with Eaſe and Pleaſure.
Some there are who ſay that when the Pidgeon
has found her Meat in the Field, the farther ſhe
has it to carry to her Young, the Fatter ſhe
makes them with it; and the Reaſon they give
is, becauſe the Meat which they carry Home
to feed their Young in their Crop, by ſtaying
there a good While is half concocted; and up­
on this Account, they are for placing the Dove­
houſe on ſome very high ſteep Situation.
They
think too, that it is beſt for the Dove-houſe to
be at a pretty good Diſtance from its Water,
that the Pidgeons may not chill their Eggs by
coming to them with their Feet wet.
If in
one Corner of the Tower you encloſe a Kaſtrel,
it will ſecure your Dove-houſe from Birds of
Prey.
If under the Door you bury the Head
of a Wolf ſtrewed over with Cummin-ſeed, in
an earthen Veſſel full of Holes for the Smell to
get out, it will bring you an infinite Number
of Pidgeons.
If you make your Dove-houſe
Floor of Chalk, and wet it thoroughly with
Man's Urine, you will bring Multitudes of
Pidgeons from the Seats of their Anceſtors, to
take up their Abode with you.
Before the
Windows let there be Cornices of Stone, or of
Olive-wood, projecting out a Cubit, for the
Pidgeons to light upon at their coming Home,
and to take their Flight from at their going
Abroad.
If the Young ones which are con­
fined have a View of Trees and the Sky before
they can fly, it will make them Droop and
Pine away.
Other ſmaller Birds which you
have a Deſire to breed, ought to have their
Neſts and Apartments made for them in ſome
warm Place.
Thoſe which walk more than
they fly, ſhould have them low, and upon the
Ground itſelf; for others they ſhould be made
higher.
Each ſhould have a ſeparate Apart­
ment, divided by Partitions on each Side to
keep their Eggs or Young from falling out of
the Neſt.
Clay is better to make the Neſts of
than Lime, and Lime than Terraſs.
All Sort
of old Stone new cut is bad; Bricks are better
than Turf, if not too much baked.
The Wood
either of Poplar or Fir is very uſeful.
All the
Apartments for Birds ought to be ſmooth, clean
and ſweet, and eſpecially ſor Pidgeons.
Even
four footed Beaſts, if kept naſty, will grow
Scabby.
Let every Part, therefore, be well
done over with Rough-caſt, and plaiſtered and
white waſhed, not leaving the leaſt Cranny un­
ſtopped, that Pole-cats, Weezels, Newts, or the
like Vermin may not deſtroy the Eggs, or the
Young, or prejudice the Wall; and be ſure to
make convenient Places to keep their Meat and
Water in.
It will be very Convenient for this
Purpoſe to have a Moat quite round your Houſe,
wherein your Geeſe, Ducks, Hogs and Cows
may water and waſh themſelves, and near
which, in all Weathers, they may have as much
Meat lying ready for them as they will eat.
Let the Water and Meat for your ſmaller
Fowls be kept in Tunnels along the Wall, ſo
that they may not ſeatter or dirty it with their
Feet; and you may have Pipes into theſe Tun­
nels from without, through which you may
convey their Food into them.
In the Middle,
let there be a Place for them to waſh in, with
a conſtant ſupply of clean Water.
Make your
Piſh-pond in a chalky Soil, and dig it ſo deep
that the Water may neither be over heated by
the Rays of the Sun, nor too eaſily frozen up
by the Cold.
Moreover, make ſome Caverns
in the Sides, for the Fiſh to run into upon any
ſudden Diſturbance of the Water, that they
may not be waſted and worn away by conti­
nual Alarms.
Fiſh are nouriſhed by the Juices
of the Earth; great Heat torments them, and
extreme Froſt kills them; but they are very
much pleaſed and delighted by the Mid-day
Sun.
It is thought not amiſs to have the tur­
bid Floods after Rains flow into the Pond ſome­
times; but never upon the firſt Rain after the
Dog-days; becauſe they then have a ſtrong
Tincture of Lime, and will kill the Fiſh; and
afterwards too they ſhould be admitted but
rarely, becauſe their ſtinking Slime is apt to
prejudice both the Fiſh and Water too; but

Text layer

  • Dictionary
  • Places

Text normalization

  • Original

Search


  • Exact
  • All forms
  • Fulltext index
  • Morphological index